The next generation of fusion energy pioneers will learn how to operate a tokamak in a deeply immersive new control room simulator at Lancaster University.
Tokamak Energy has installed its SOPHIA software programme for students as part of a UK-first nuclear training facility, unveiled today.
Funded through a £2 million grant from the Office for Students, the ‘Lancaster University Nuclear Operations Simulator’ will support teaching across a range subjects such as nuclear engineering and cyber security to support the nation’s clean energy goals and address critical skills gaps.
The creation of this cutting-edge facility, which includes a huge wrap-around screen and multiple lay-outs, is aligned to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and National Nuclear Strategic Plans by supporting teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate Lancaster University programmes.
It comes equipped with a highly reconfigurable design and software for different reactor types including a pressurised water reactor (PWRs), small modular reactor (SMRs), and fusion reactor, with software codes developed by GSE Solutions, Westinghouse, Norway’s Institute for Energy Technology, and Tokamak Energy.
It also includes leading-edge audio-visual equipment that can be used to flexibly configure different scenarios and record student interactions in the simulation environment.
Professor Rebecca Lingwood, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Lancaster University, said: “This fabulous new facility will augment Lancaster’s long-established strength across disciplines such as nuclear engineering and cyber security, providing our students with a truly excellent learning experience. Lancaster University plays a vital role as an economic anchor institution in north-west England, and this facility will further enable us in helping to deliver a new generation of young people equipped with the skills needed to support a low-carbon energy sector vital for national energy security.”
Tokamak Energy’s SOPHIA, the Greek goddess of wisdom, was originally developed to predict, simulate and validate experiments in the company’s record-breaking machine ST40 – a vital testbed for developing the technologies and expertise required to deliver commercial fusion. It allows scientists and engineers to get maximum gains from every experiment without needing to test multiple scenarios in the physical machine – which reaches plasma temperatures six times hotter than the centre of the sun – removing human error and fast-tracking results.
Ross Morgan, Tokamak Energy’s Fusion Managing Director, said: “This is a fantastic initiative by Lancaster University that we are extremely proud to support. Young people are more aware than ever that the world needs a new supply of clean, secure energy. We hope our tokamak simulator SOPHIA will inspire students to pursue a career in fusion energy and help make the world a better place for future generations.”
The facility will be ready for teaching students at Lancaster University from the next academic year starting in the autumn. It will be an invaluable teaching tool to enable students to put into practice some of the theory from their undergraduate, master’s and doctorate courses.
Tokamak Energy has world-leading expertise in fusion technologies and is the Magnet Systems Partner for the UK’s flagship STEP programme.
Picture courtesy of Lancaster University
